A niece allegedly stole nearly $700,000 from the aunt she cared for — experts warn longer lifespans worsen the issue

Around 63 million Americans are acting as caregivers. That's close to one in four adults in the U.S. Rhonda Orr was one of those caregivers. As the WSJ reported, Orr was first written out of her aunt Mildred Callahan's estate in 2013. However, Orr returned to Callahan's life in 2017 and, reportedly, hired caregivers for Callahan. Exactly what happened next is up for debate.

Arizona Adult Protective Services began receiving complaints after Orr returned to Callahan's life. These complaints, and the transactions surrounding them, have now resulted in Orr being jailed and facing theft charges. And this isn't an isolated incident.

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"As people age and live longer, they oftentimes need more assistance managing their finances," Andrew L. Hope , founder of the estate planning firm Hope Law , told Moneywise. "If this happens, it increases the possibility of these individuals experiencing financial abuse because they are no longer the only ones with access to their bank accounts, property, or other assets."

The big questions now are: Did abuse happen here, and is this controversial case a sign that a big problem could get much worse as longer lifespans raise the risk of elder financial abuse?

Orr has been accused of abuse and mismanagement

According to the WSJ, many suspicious events occurred after Orr reappeared on the scene, with financial transactions related to Callahan's estate raising such severe red flags that Callahan's bank filed multiple reports with Adult Protective Services.

Issues went beyond Orr making unusual withdrawals and opening new credit cards in Callahan's name, although Orr did those things too. Here were some other incidents:

One report claimed Orr impersonated Callahan to request a $200,000 transfer, while another said Orr made an unusual request to cash out an annuity.

A caregiver hired to care for Callahan said Orr owed her $31,000.

Orr sold stock belonging to Callahan and failed to file a tax return, resulting in $312,000 of liability, including late fees.

Orr visited an elder law firm, had new estate planning documents drawn up at a meeting that Callahan wasn't at, and later brought Callahan to sign them. The documents named Orr as trustee and sole heir of a family trust.

Orr even reportedly bought a $529,000 home in cash and titled it to herself, allegedly because Callahan was in a rehab facility at the time.